Fluid transfer device for rotary pump and turbine fluid couplings



Feb. 3, 1953" Filed April 22,1952

E BECKER I 2,627,157

J. FLUID TRANSFER DEVICE FOR ROTARY PUMP AND TURBINE FLUID COUPLINGS 3Sheets-Sheet l A I I 7.,

Inuentcrr' JEIHN- E BECKER Feb. 3, 1953 J, E. BECKER FLUID TRANSFERDEVICE FOR ROTARY PUMP AND TURBINE FLUID COUPLINGS Filed April 22,1952 5sh t 2 Inuentnt' J [IL-1N. E. BECKER Q'LIPE'T'UQH Feb. 3, 1953 J. E.BECKER 2,627,167

FLUID TRANSFER DEVICE FOR ROTARY PUMP AND TURBINE FLUID COUPLINGS FiledApril 22,1952 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 InuBntDI' JD HN E- BECKER Patented Feb.3, 1953 FLUID TRANSFER DEVICE FOR ROTARY PUMP AND TURBINE FLUIDCOUPLINGS John Edward Becker, Darlington Township, Durham County,Ontario, Canada, assignor to Atlas. Polar Company Limited, Toronto,Ontario, Canada, a company of Ontario Application April 22, 1952, SerialNo. 283,725

8 Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in rotary pump and turbine fluidcouplings and the purpose of this invention is to furnish an improvedarrangement for transferring a predetermined volume of fluid from acentrifugal fluid ring in one rotating reservoir to another rotatingreservoir and vice versa, such transferring means comprising a pair ofcommunicating fluid scoop arrangements which are contained. within thereservoirs and capable of adjustment to govern the volume of fluidtransferred from one reservoir to the other.

The object of the invention is to provide a fluid scoopin arrangement ineach reservoir which broadly comprises a slidable ribbon extendingsubstantially radially from the vicinity of the axis of the reservoir tothe vicinity of the periphery of the reservoir and mounted between apair of stationary side plates whereby the side plates and the ribbonform a fluid scooping device; the distance the ribbon projects into thecentrifugal fluid ring governing the volume of fluid removed therefrom.

Another feature of the invention is to provide an arrangement forsimultaneously sliding the scooping ribbons in the two reservoirs, thearrangement being such that when one ribbon is being slid towards itsreservoir periphery the other ribbon is retracted from its reservoirperiphery.

A further and important object of the invention is to provide a fluidtransfer device which is particularly designed for use in fluidcouplings wherein the drive between the driving shaft and the drivenshaft is governed by the volume of fluid in the impeller housing of thecoupling.

With the foregoing and other objects in view as shall appear, myinvention consists of a fluid transfer device constructed and arrangedall as hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through a fluid couplingin which the fluid transfer device is incorporated.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the fluid scooping arrangementin the right hand reservoir of Fig. l, the view being along the line2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2 showing the fluid scoopingarrangement in the coupling impeller housing being along the line 3-3,Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through a pair of coupledrotatable reservoirs in 2 which a pair of fluid scoops of the typeillustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 are contained.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in thedifierent views of the drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates a fluid coupling of the same general type asdisclosed in my United States Patent No. 2,582,952, January 22, 1952,and wherein an impeller housing 2 and a fluid reservoir 3 are rotatablymounted about a common axis, the impeller housing carrying a couplingplate 4 for attachment to a driving shaft and containing a plurality ofradial impeller vanes 5 which drive a plurality of runner vanes 6mounted upon a driven shaft 1 extending through the reservoir 3 into theimpeller housing 2.

In the arrangement as illustrated in Fig. 1, the inner end of the drivenshaft 1 is keyed within a collar 8 upon which the runner vanes 6 andtheir housing 9 are carried. The collar is mounted upon a ball bearingrace Ill positioned within the central portion of the impeller housingfrom which the impeller vanes rotate.

The driven shaft 7 rotates within'a stationary hollow shaft H containingsuitably arranged roller bearings l2 and oil seal rings Hi, the hollowshaft being sup-ported by a stationary shell I l within which thecoupling assembly is contained. A wall I?) forms the partition betweenthe impeller housing 2 and the reservoir 3 and contains a centralorifice it surrounding the axial assembly of the coupling and throughwhich the air pressure in the coupling is equalized as fluid istransferred from one centrifugal fluid ring to the other.

The impeller housing 2 and fluid reservoir 3 each contains a similarslidable ribbon fluid scooping arrangement. The fluid scoopingarrangement in the impeller housing 2 comprises a pair of transverselyarranged parallel side plates ll of preferably the general shape asshown in Fig. 3. The plates are mounted upon the inner end of thestationary hollow shaft II which protrudes through th partition wallorifice it into the impeller housing. The inner opposite faces of theplates contain a pair of similar curved grooves 58 which are positionedopposite one another to constitute a track containing a slidable scoopribbon l9 which extends between and slides within the grooves. 1 a

The coupling, as illustrated, is designed to rotate in acounter-clockwise direction and in order to obtain fluid scoopingefficiency, the outer ends 20 of the track grooveslt are curved towardsthe counter-clockwise direction of rotation of the coupling. The innerends 21 of the track grooves [8, as illustrated in Fig. 3, are curved ina clockwise direction around the hollow stationary shaft l l and in theribbon is slid by a suitably swinging arm arrangement extending to theinner ends of the track forming the grooves, as shall be hereinafterexplained. I

The fluid reservoir 3 contains a pair of plates 22 which are arranged ina similar manner to the pair of plates I! and are also carried upon thehollow shaft II. The plates contain a pair of grooves 23 which aresimilarly curved at their outer ends to the outer ends 20 of the groovesIS in the plate l1, and carry a sliding ribbon 2-4. The inner ends ofthe grooves 23 are curved in a counter-clockwise direction around thestationary shaft l I as illustrated in Fig. 2.

To slide the ribbons l9 and 24 in opposite directions in unison aturnable sleeve 25 is carried upon the stationary hollow shaft II andformed with a projection 26 on thelower part of its inner face and whichextends through aligned curved slots 21 in the pair of plates 22 and theinner adjacent plate [1. The sleeve projection 26 carries a pair of arms28 and 2,9, the arm 28 being positioned between the pair of plates l1and the arm 29 positioned between the pair of plates 22. The outer endsof the arms are attached to the ends of the ribbons l9 and 24. Thesleeve is manually turnable in any suitable manner, such as by a lever:30 extending .from its outer end through an orifice in the shell 14. 7

Upon reference to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that when the sleeve 25and its arms 28 and 29 are swung in a clockwise direction that the scoop=,vide a fluid tight construction wherein a sleeve j3l rotatablysurrounds the sleeve 25 and contains suitable .roller bearings 32 andseal rings 33 engaging the sleeve 25. The outer end. 34 of the sleeve 3!is attached'to a lip 35 formed upon the inturned end of the cylindricalwall 36 of the reservoir 3.

To provide a fluid transfer conduit between the two scooping assemblies,the adjacent plates f7 and 22 are formed with orifices 31 throughwhich'fluid may pass from the space between the plates I! to the spacebetween the plates 22 and vice versa. The conduit formed by the twoplate orifices 137 is bounded by a shell plate 33 to confine the :fluidin its passage from one scoop to the other. In the space between theplates 22 a shell plate 39 is contained and formed with. a curved lip 40bearing against the scooping face of the ribbon 24 so that fluid isdirected into the orifice 37 in the plate 22 when fluid is being scoopedby the ribbon 24.

Fig. 4 .illustrates the fluid scooping and transferring arrangementincorporated in 'a pair of reservoirs 4| and 42 and wherein exactly thesame arrangement as previously described is used for transferring fluidfrom one reservoir to the other. The reservoirs are shown supported upona stationary hollow shaft 43 extending inwardly from a stationarysupporting shell 44, the reservoirs being rotated by means of a drivingshaft connected to a coupling plate 45. The stationary hollow shaft 43has exactly the same function as the stationary hollow shaft I]previously described and carries the turnable sleeve 25 through themedium of which the scooping devices are actuated.

In Fig. 4 the ribbon 24 between the plates 22 is shown completelyretracted towards the axis of its reservoir and the ribbon I9 betweenthe plates I! completely extended towards the periphery of itsreservoir. The reservoirs and impeller housing are formed withperipheral walls sloping outwardly towards their greatest diameterportions containing the pairs of side plates l1 and 22 whereby asubstantially complete evacuation of fluid from the centrifugal fluidrings may be obtained.

Although I have shown and described a particular mounting andconstruction of the reservoirs and impeller housing in which the fluidscooping arrangements are contained, it will be appreci ated that I donot necessarily have to confine my invention to this particularconstruction nor do I have to confine my fluid scooping arrangement tothe construction shown, it being understood that I canlmake such changesand alterations as I may at any time deem necessary without departingfrom the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims. 1

What I claim as my invention'isi' 1. In a rotary pump and turbine fluidcoupling, a device for removing a predetermined volume of fluid from acentrifugal fluid ring in a reservoir rotating about its axis andcomprising a stationary track contained within the reservoir andextending from the vicinity of the axis of the reservoir to the vicinityof the periphery of the reservoir, a fluid scoop ribbon slidablycontained within the track with its scoop face opposed to the directionof rotation of the reservoir, a pair of side plates positioned along thesides of the ribbon edges whereby the side plates and the ribbon form afluid scooping trough, means for sliding the ribbon along the trackbetween the side plates, and a fluid conduit extending from thereservoir axis end of said fluid scooping trough to the exterior of thereservoir.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein two reservoirs rotate about acommon axis and fluid is transferable from one reservoir to the otherand vice versa, and wherein each reservoir contains a ribbon track andslidable ribbon and side plate fluid scoop trough forming arrangement,the means for sliding the ribbons being so coupled that when one ribbonis being slid towards its reservoir periphery the other ribbon is beingretracted from its reservoir periphery, the fluid conduit extending fromthe reservoir axis end of one fluid scooping trough to the reservoiraxis and of the other fluid scooping trough.

3. Ina rotary pump and turbine fluid coupling incorporating a pair offluid reservoirsrotatable about a common axis, a device for transferringa predetermined volume of a fluid from one reservoir to the other andvice versa, a stationary curved track contained within each reservoirand curved towards the direction of rotation of the reservoir, each ofsaid tracks extending from thevicinity of the axis of its reservoir tothe vicinity of the periphery of its reservoir, a fluid scoop ribbonslidably contained within each track with its scoop face opposed tothedirection of rotation of it s reservoir, twoipairs of side lat s-e tu st n all a i h an s to the axis of rotation of -the"reservoirs, eachpair of side plates being positioned along the sides of a ribbon edge toform with the ribbon a fluid scooping trough, 'means for sliding theribbons along the tracks between the side plates and so arranged thatwhen one ribbon is being slid towards its reservoir periphery the otherribbon is being retracted from its reservoir periphery, and a fluidconduit extending fom the reservoir axis end of one fluid scoopingtrough to the axis end of the other fluid scooping trough.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the inner ends of the trackscurve around the axis of rotation of the reservoirs, one track curvingin a clockwise direction and the other track curving in acounter-clockwise direction, the means for sliding the ribbons being aswingable elem nt having its pivotal point substantially concentric withthe axis of rotation of the reservoirs and its swingable end connectedto the ribbons contained within the curves of the tracks extendingaround the axis of rotation of the reservoirs.

5. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pair of fluid reservoirsare coupled together and are rotatable about a stationary shaftprojecting thereinto, the inner ends of the tracks curving around theaxis of the shaft, one track curving in a clockwise direction and theother track curving in a counter-clockwise direction, the means forsliding the ribbons being a sleeve turnably carried upon the shaftinteriorly of one of the reservoirs, arms radiating from the sleeve toswing therewith and having their swingable ends connected to theportions of the ribbons contained within the curves of the tracksextending around the axis of the stationary shaft.

6. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of the reservoirsconstitutes a driving rotatable impeller housing for a fluid couplingand is attached to a central driving shaft with which the impellerhousing rotates, a plurality of impeller vanes mounted within theimpeller housing and radiating from its centre, a central driven shaftfreely extending through the other reservoir into the impeller housing,a runner housing mounted upon the driven shaft and contained within theimpeller housing and having a plurality of radial runner vanes thereinand oppositely positioned to the impeller vanes, and a stationary hollowshaft surrounding the driven shaft and upon which the fluid scoopingtroughs formed by the ribbons and side plates are supported.

7. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of the reservoirsconstitutes a driving rotatable impeller housing for a fluid couplingand is attached to a central driving shaft with which the impellerhousing rotates, a plurality of impeller vanes mounted within theimpeller housing and radiating from its centre, a central driven shaftfreely extending through the other reservoir into the impeller housing,a runner housing mounted upon the driven shaft and contained Within theimpeller housing and having a plurality of radial runner vanes thereinand oppositely positioned to the impeller vanes, a stationary hollowshaft surrounding the driven shaft and upon which the fluid scoopingtroughs formed by the ribbons and side plates are supported, the innerends of the tracks curving around the stationary hollow shaft, one trackcurving in a clockwise direction and the other track curving in acounterclockwise direction, the means for sliding the ribbons being aswingable element having its pivotal point substantially concentric withthe stationary hollow shaft and its swingable end connected to theportions of the ribbon contained within the curves of the tracksextending around the stationary hollow shaft.

8. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of the reservoirsconstitutes a driving rotatable impeller housing for a fluid couplingand is attached to a central driving shaft with which the impellerhousing rotates, a plurality of impeller vanes mounted within theimpeller housing and radiating from its centre, a central driven shaftfreely extending through the other reservoir into the impeller housing,a runner housing mounted upon the driven shaft and contained within theimpeller housing and having a plu rality of radial runner vanes thereinand oppositely positioned to the impeller vanes, a stationary hollowshaft surrounding the driven shaft and upon which the fluid scoopingtroughs formed by the ribbons and side plates are supported, the innerends of the tracks curving around the stationary hollow shaft, one trackcurving in a clockwise direction and the other track curving in acounterclockwise direction, the means for sliding the ribbons being asleeve turnably carried upon the hollow stationary shaft interiorly ofthe reservoir, arms radiating from the sleeve to swing therewith andhaving their swingable ends con nected to the portions of the ribbonscontained within the curves of the tracks extending around thestationary hollow shaft.

JOHN EDWARD BECKER.

No references cited.

